The ecological and economic importance of wood is difficult to overstate, with the total amount of wood in the world's forests estimated at about 1.5 Gt. Thus, wood is by far the most abundant component of the terrestrial biomass. The carbon stored in wood and humus (partially degraded wood) is important in the planetary carbon cycle, which has a significant influence on global climate. In addition, wood is a leading industrial component of the global economy. About 4% of the US gross national product has been attributed to the wood products industry in past decades.
Unfortunately, a growing population is reducing the arable land area in the United States and around the world, while the demand for wood products increases. This growing demand and limited resources have resulted in a need for greater productivity of the remaining forest lands.
The flowering process consumes 25 to 35% of the energy of a typical plant, thereby limiting wood production. Thus, for trees used for lumber or pulp production, for example, it can be advantageous to suppress flowering in order increase the yield of wood. Suppression of flowering also can be desired to eliminate the production of allergic pollen, or to prevent pollen dissemination. Unfortunately, methods of producing genetically modified plants in which flowering is suppressed without effecting other desirable traits are not currently available.
Thus, a need exists for developing genetically modified plant varieties in which the natural process of flowering is suppressed. The present invention satisfies this need and provides related advantages as well.